Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)

BIMSTEC is a regional organisation founded on 06 June 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration

Originally named BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation), it was renamed BIMSTEC after Myanmar joined on 22 December 1997, and again with the inclusion of Bhutan and Nepal in February 2004.

The BIMSTEC Secretariat, established in Dhaka in 2014 following the Third BIMSTEC Summit

Initially focusing on six sectors—trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism, and fisheries—in 1997, BIMSTEC expanded its focus in 2008 to include agriculture, public health, poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism, environment, culture, people-to-people contact, and climate change.

India hosts the 2nd BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers' Retreat in July 2024, highlighting a focus on broadening and deepening cooperation across various sectors

The first edition of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat was held in Bangkok of Thailand, in July last year